Hyderabad Film Studios Back in Action After Tollywood Workers Call Off Strike

Cinema shooting resumed at 20 of the 28 film studios in Hyderabad on Monday (August 25), after the Telugu Film Industry Workers’ Federation called off its strike on August 22. Shootings for Telugu and Hindi films, along with web series, restarted at major studios such as Ramanaidu and Annapurna in Hyderabad.

The strike was triggered after film workers demanded a 30% wage hike, disrupting ongoing productions. Following multiple rounds of talks between the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce and workers’ unions, the Telangana government stepped in to resolve the impasse.

As per the agreement, workers earning below ₹2,000 will receive a 22.5% wage hike spread over three years, while those in the ₹2,000–₹5,000 bracket will get a 17.5% hike over the same period. The unions also accepted producers’ demand for 12-hour call sheets from 9 am to 9 pm. In return, producers agreed to raise wages for dancers, fighters, and technicians.

For big-budget films, call sheets on Sundays will be counted as one and a half days. For smaller productions, the second and fourth Sundays will be calculated as 1.5 days, while the remaining Sundays will be treated as regular call sheets.

Although shootings have restarted, a few unions under the federation remain dissatisfied with the settlement. The Telangana government has assured the formation of a committee to look into their concerns, prompting workers to continue duties.

A minor disruption occurred on Sunday (August 24) when some unions refused to work on the set of Prabhas-starrer Raja Saab. However, union leaders persuaded them to resume and assured that unresolved issues would be taken up with state representatives.

With the government’s intervention and film production back on track, Tollywood appears to be regaining momentum, even as certain worker grievances remain under discussion.